Leadership is not about the leader. It's about challenges, opportunities and empowerment. It's about the people to whom you're speaking.
As communications expert Phyllis Mendell points out:- The Gettysburg Address contains no "I" statements.
- Tony Blair's brilliant 3,500 word "A Fight for Liberty" speech used the word "I" only 1/2 of 1% of the time.
- Even Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech used the word "I" to give a voice to the stories and aspirations of his audience. He wasn't just speaking about himself.
A stronger way to talk and write replaces "I" with the shared topic of interest, followed quickly by an action that relates to it.
This shifts the focus to what's most important, often increasing brevity and clarity.
Notice how the focus shifts when Ralph Nadar's statement:
"I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers."
is simply edited to,
"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers."
